Designer wraps blanket heritage into fashion contest

A young designer is highlighting local craftsmanship through her womenswear collection for an international fashion competition.

Alexandra Burch, 19, from Witney is among the eight finalists on the Redress Design Award, which challenges emerging designers to use certified textile waste for their creations.

Cotswold Remnants celebrates her hometown heritage of blanket making and is "entirely made from materials and offcuts salvaged from the Cotswold Woollen Weavers, a mill that sadly had to permanently close this year".

She was flown out to Hong Kong on Sunday ahead of the grand final fashion show on 2 September.

She said she was "really excited" for her first visit to Asia, where she will face off with designers from all over the world.

"I know that some are from Austria, Germany, some are from Hong Kong and mainland China.

"We're all coming together, so I'm excited to meet everyone soon."

Alexandra said she would do fittings for the runway show models.

"I'm still very inspired by the 70s and the hippie movement but this collection ... was inspired by tweed jackets and traditional farmer wear in my local area, so I looked more locally this time."

Her four-look collection was made of faulty tweed blankets and loom offcuts from the now closed mill in Filkins.

"It's all made of local British wool, undyed and naturally dyed," Alexandra said.

The designer, who is also a fashion design student at Kingston University, believes that "waste is not inevitable, it's a design decision".

"You should focus on sustainability at the start of your design, not add it on at the end.

"I think that true sustainability lies in valuing what already exists and designing for durability, so looking at the future."

The non-profit association Global Fashion Agenda, which aims to accelerate net-positive action in the industry, has found that "every year, 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced globally".

The United Nations Environment Programme says this is the equivalent of "a garbage truck full of clothing being incinerated or sent to a landfill every second".

"I think at the moment the fashion industry is way out of hand, it's way too fast-paced and I think fast fashion brands must be held accountable," Alexandra said.

People can support their favourite designers in the competition's People's Choice vote which is open until 08:00 BST on 31 August.

The final will be streamed live on The Redress Design Award website.